johnnyzero

johnnyzero

Joined Member # 3530650
0 Posts 0 Replies 429 Reputation
suggestion: improve/simplify the auto-update mechanism for Start8 & Start10 in Start Menu Products Stardock Forums

Over the last few years, I've installed Start8/Start10 on almost all of my clients' machines (200+). On subsequent service calls, they are almost always still running the same (outdated) version that I installed for them. When I mention this, their response is usually something like "Oh yeah, I kept getting a message about updating, but I couldn't figure out how to do it". Sadly, the process of downloading the installer from a Web page, locating their Downloads folder, and double-

2 Replies 1,681 Views
Reply to Connect To in Start Menu Products Stardock Forums

As Neil said, this is an OS issue, not a Start10 issue. In Windows 10, Microsoft completely changed the UI for connecting to your available networks. This has upset some users, especially those who need to connect to one or more VPN's (like yourself). Luckily, as with most Windows annoyances, there is a workaround if you don't mind a little extra work: First, download and run <a href="http://winaero.com/downloa

3 Replies 2,096 Views
Reply to Start10 breaking Windows updates? in Start Menu Products Stardock Forums

I've probably installed Start8/Start10 on 100+ different computers, and I have yet to see a single instance where it "broke" Windows Update. That being said, Windows Update is a notoriously fragile thing, which can easily get trashed by any number of factors. Start10 is not one of them. I agree with Neil: this is probably a case of "cranky tech support guy".

3 Replies 1,875 Views
Reply to Start10 Shortcut in Start Menu Products Stardock Forums

Not sure if this wiill help you, but here's a simple program I created which willl simulate pressing the Windows key: http://www.frontiernet.net/~johnnyzero/WinKey.exe You can create a shortcut to it, and then pin the shortcut to your taskbar.

3 Replies 3,093 Views
Reply to Windows Update Icon on Start10 Menu in Start Menu Products Stardock Forums

Brink over at TenForums has created a shortcut that will take you directly to Windows Update, and save you a click or two. You can pin it to the Start10 menu, Start, or taskbar, just like any other shortcut. http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/5377-windows-update-shortcut-create-windows-10-a.html

2 Replies 2,491 Views
Reply to Start8Tweak.exe Doesn't Start in Start8 Stardock Forums

[quote who="Neil Banfield" reply="7" id="3511341"] Download and install the version on the update page. It should fix the issue. [/quote] Yes, I've done that (several times), and the issue persists. Any other suggestions?

8 Replies 4,504 Views
Reply to Start8Tweak.exe Doesn't Start in Start8 Stardock Forums

I'm having the same issue as the OP: when I click on Start8Tweak.exe, it simply opens my Web browser to the following URL: https://www.stardock.com/products/start8/update.asp If I copy Start8Tweak.exe to my Desktop and run it from there (as suggested by another poster), it will run , but it won't allow me to unload Start8. Yes, I'm using the latest version, v1.47. Any suggestions? JohnB

8 Replies 4,504 Views
Reply to Finding & Creating a Custom Windows 7 orb start button icon in Start8 Stardock Forums

Download this PNG file & copy it to the folder that contains your other Start8 start buttons (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Stardock\Start8\StartButtons). Then, from Start8's Style configuration screen, choose "Custom image" and select that file as your start button image. You'll now have a start orb that resembles Windows 7's. Enjoy. </

2 Replies 6,159 Views
Reply to [Feature Request] in Start8 Stardock Forums

That feature already exists: it's called "Custom Places". You can even rename them to whatever you like. Go to: Configure, Advanced. JohnB

1 Replies 1,249 Views
concerns about 1.44 Beta & re-activation in Start8 Stardock Forums

I downloaded & installed the new v1.44 Beta (with the "New activation and trial mechanism") on my own machine, and it prompted me to re-enter my product key to activate. No problem. My concern is this: I'm a computer consultant and over the last 18 months or so, I've purchased several dozen separate Start8 licenses (under my own account) and installed them on various clients' systems. I'm worried that once this beta hits general release, I'm going to have to wa

4 Replies 4,209 Views
Reply to Why does the Charms Bar live on? in Start8 Stardock Forums

What you're describing here is an annoying touchpad feature called "Edge Swipes", which is enabled by default for Synaptics touchpads (and some other brands too). Here's a link that will show you how to disable the Edge Swipes feature: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/20992-touchpad-edge-swipes-enable-disable-windows-8-a.html I'm pretty sure thi

5 Replies 2,542 Views
Reply to Odd thing on new laptop in Start8 Stardock Forums

On most laptop touchpads, you need to disable a feature called "Edge Swipes" (or something similar, depending on the brand of touchpad & driver). Go to the Control Panel's Mouse applet & you can disable it from there.

2 Replies 1,327 Views
Reply to Windows 8.1 disable Charms Bar? in Start8 Stardock Forums

After doing some more checking on this topic, I really doubt that disabling Edge Swipes for the touchpad will have any effect on the touchscreen swipe behavior anyway. I came across some questions from others about how to do this (mainly other kiosk developers), but no real answers. The only other promising thing I found was an article called Disabling Windows 8 Edge Gestur

6 Replies 9,700 Views
Reply to Windows 8.1 disable Charms Bar? in Start8 Stardock Forums

Gotcha. I thought you might be using one of the Microsoft keyboards, in which case I would've recommended that you disable the touchpad's "Edge Swipes" feature. As you probably know, this feature is hard-coded into the Synaptics touchpad driver, and it does not respect Win8/Start8's Hot Corner- and Charms-related settings. Just for kicks 'n giggles, have you tried disabling Edge Swipes to see if it has any effect on how the touchscreen handles them?

6 Replies 9,700 Views
Reply to Start8 freezing Windows 8.1 after cold reboot... in Start8 Stardock Forums

I understand. Still, from a troubleshooting standpoint it would be worthwhile to try disabling Hybrid Shutdown just to see if it's related to the problem you're experiencing when Start8 is installed. If so, then at least that will point the Stardock folks in the right direction.

29 Replies 71,568 Views
Reply to Start8 freezing Windows 8.1 after cold reboot... in Start8 Stardock Forums

Here's an article I found about how to disable Win8's "Hybrid Shutdown" feature. I'm not sure if this will have any effect on how Start8 shuts down the system, but it might be worth a try. http://www.askvg.com/fix-windows-8-restart-and-shutdown-problems-by-disabling-hybrid-shutdown-feature/

29 Replies 71,568 Views
Reply to Start8 Update & Modern Mix in Start8 Stardock Forums

I wholeheartedly agree with the OP. ModernMix is an amazing piece of software. But I've got about 50 clients running Start8, none of whom want or need ModernMix. These same clients are very likely to plow right through the update dialog box without even noticing the "Also install ModernMix" checkbox. Instead of an easy-to-miss checked-by-default checkbox, it would be much better to have a proper dialog box with a "No thanks. And please don't ask me again" option. At th

4 Replies 1,514 Views